Dream of the Statues
The house's aftermath had been handled without a hitch. Cream Holybell's needles had all been recovered, and the faint negativity left behind had been fully purified. Though I was quite exhausted, thanks to the potions or herbs she'd given me, I was able to recover some of my stamina. After that, when I took the village chief to check the house, the sight of the villagers flooding out in a swarm was unforgettable. 'This young man solved it,' 'Well, everyone, go back to your comfortable homes,' 'Are you from the Holy Land?' 'Let me see your face!' They were all chattering noisily, so I quickly tucked Cream under my arm and escaped.
Right after that, I headed straight to the guild, where fifty strawberry-flavored waffles were stacked up. Even giving one to each of Cream's hands left forty-eight left over.
“Here, all of these are yours, Miss.”
“...Huh.”
Ignoring Cream's puzzled look, I went to the staff member.
“The request is complete. I'd like to receive the settlement payment.”
“Eh... um... Mr. Andrew, I suppose? You finished it in just a few hours?”
“Yes. I also received the client's signature confirmation.”
“Um...”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no. There is no issue.”
The staff member who had completed the confirmation immediately brought over the payment. The clinking sound of coins inside the heavy pouch was oddly tempting.
When I looked inside, it was pure gold. As expected, it was a lucrative job.
‘If I worked for a few hours to earn this much, wouldn't it be a loss not to do it?’
Grinning from ear to ear, I tucked Cream—who had her hands full of money in one and strawberry cream waffles in the other—under my arm. She was dangling like a kitten with her limbs limp.
I saved only six waffles and distributed the rest to the guild staff. I had originally wanted to take them all, but Cream had said,
“It's too much trouble to carry, and most of all, they'll go bad.”
With a tired expression, I followed her suggestion.
What a sharp young lady.
Of course, the moment we got home, I punished her for being so sharp.
“S-stop it.”
“Be quiet.”
“Please, I don't want that. I really don't want it.”
“Punishment only has meaning if the one receiving it dislikes it.”
“But there are other punishments. Taking away hamburgers, or even hitting me.”
“I need to build Miss's trust, so I won't do anything rough like that.”
“Then when we get close, you'll hit me? Haaaa—!!”
Sitting in the bathtub, I placed Cream on my lap and held her tightly, carefully brushing her teeth. From the molars inside to the sharp canines and smooth front teeth—bit by bit, I polished them meticulously. She seemed to enjoy it.
“Uuu. Aah.”
“If I leave the estate without permission next time, should I or shouldn't I?”
“Hugya.”
“If I enter a dangerous place without reason, should I or shouldn't I?”
“Hiee.”
“Why won't you answer?”
“W-well, I did come back safely. I'm perfectly fine without any injuries. Besides, it's not like I was hostile to you or anything...!”
“I only said it was a misunderstanding, and even if it were true, I am your tutor before anything else.”
“Huaaang.”
As I gently brushed her palate, Cream's body twitched.
And when I let go, she pouted, a tiny tear dripping from the corner of her eye, then glared at me fiercely.
Her face was flushed red with grievances, anger, shame, and barely contained rage.
The way she muttered darkly, as if she would make me regret it, was rather spirited.
Hmm.
“Good.”
“What is it...?!”
Right now, this was much better. Far superior to the face that had been soaked in betrayal and crying just a little while ago.
She was a girl with a subtle sense of superiority and strong self-pride. In the first playthrough, someone had crushed that spirit so much that she went mad in the end.
I liked Cream's lively appearance. Whether it was a spark of hatred toward me or not, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was moving forward together with me.
Among those, the best thing was, of course, her smiling face.
Recalling her bright smile from the first playthrough, I nodded to myself, but Cream suddenly shuddered and stood up.
“This is bad... That's why you kept me alive, huh...”
Hearing her mutter, it seemed the misunderstanding was piling up deeper.
‘...Huh? Wait.’
Whether she said it or not, I suddenly replayed my own thoughts.
Moving forward together.
The things Cream had shown me in that cursed house today. The sharpness of hitting the target with a needle, the guts to not fear negativity, and the agility to grab the chandelier in an emergency.
Cream was definitely a talented child. Even setting aside her later-playthrough appearance, she could immediately absorb what I taught her in mathematics and followed noble etiquette right away.
Besides her intelligence, her physical abilities were nothing to scoff at. Despite her small stature, she was basically quick. She had probably been raising her talent by secretly eating stray animals.
——
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**Health: 50**
**Strength: 40**
**Agility: 48**
**Wisdom: 72**
**Sensitivity: 8 → 7**
**Charm: 41**
**Grace: 25**
**Morality: 2**
**Faith: 2**
**Stress: 75%**
These were the stats I had been gradually raising while helping with farming and tutoring. There had been a slight change from the punishment just now, but anyway.
‘Her physical stats aren't that bad.’
Except for the slightly low grace due to her street days and the three siblings who weren't cut out for it, everyone else was rising steadily.
Watching them, an idea seemed to form.
A way to raise Cream's stats. A path to turn her into a super all-rounder Cream.
I planned to continue combining my tutoring duties with purification requests.
Rather than simply thinking of the latter as money-making or training, I could see it as a kind of ‘service.’
A sacred task of removing negativity and helping those in trouble.
‘Faith and morality...!’
It seemed like a grand plan was forming.
Of course, I would need to think it over carefully before making it concrete. It was a dangerous task, and I didn't know if Cream herself would cooperate.
Moreover, I had room for improvement myself.
From today's real-world experience, blindly flashing light wouldn't make me a skilled exorcist. Human flashlight me wasn't bad, but the backlash was too severe. I might have clouded judgment from headaches. Like how I accidentally used informal speech with Cream earlier.
Also, the range was too broad. If we were to do purification work together in the future, I would need to refine the method.
‘I should look for something like an introductory holy magic manual.’
I had thought my ‘purification’ ability was a different type from the holy power used by the priests of this world. The stat window had roughly given me that idea.
But based on Cream's stories and the staff's reactions, it was unmistakably holy magic.
I myself could clearly feel the sensation of converting the power flowing in my blood into another power.
‘If I realized it today, that would be enough.’
The training methods of the priests in this world must be compiled somewhere, so I could study them.
After sorting my thoughts, I stood up.
Meanwhile, the rinsed Cream tried to flee with a grin, and I cheerfully sent her off.
“Sleep well. You've worked hard today.”
“...”
It was I who had run the most, yet Cream looked more exhausted as she staggered back to her room.
After all, I was an adult and she was a child, so the difference in stamina was only natural.
Thinking that way, I showered in warm water and lay down on the bed. Civilization where turning on the faucet brought out warm water was the best.
And, the next day.
“My body!”
I must have overdone it yesterday.
Letting out a scream, I rolled off the bed. If Cream had seen, her stress level would have dropped by about 20%.
In the cursed house yesterday, my body had moved too flexibly, and I had gone wild. That was why I was in so much muscle pain.
Wait. Was this really muscle pain?
My legs trembled when I tried to get up, and the blood vessels pulsed all the way to my fingertips and toes, making me wonder if I had caught some illness.
‘This isn't simple muscle pain.’
The desperate scream of my veins, the howling, the aah... It just hurt too much.
Still, I prepared to go to work. Clearing the ‘Stress: +4%’ notification from the corner of my vision, I stepped out.
“Oh, Teacher. Did you return safely from yesterday's outing?”
Just then, I met Albert, the head butler, on the stairs leading to Cream's room. The grandfather who had provided Cream with a new room and was the kindest person in this estate.
“Yes... The waffle shop in front of the guild was delicious.”
“You went there!”
He smiled brightly, then suddenly checked my face.
“Uh... But are you all right? Your complexion looks off.”
“I moved too roughly yesterday and got muscle soreness.”
“Ahaha. If that's the case, would you like to follow me?”
“Eh?”
“Like this, we gently stretch from the body extremities. Even if it hurts, do it slowly.”
And then, without warning, he began some sort of exercise routine, so I awkwardly followed along.
It was a strange, almost religious motion. Following it hurt a lot, but my body seemed to loosen a bit.
“Oh... I'm feeling better.”
“Hehe. It's natural for the body to be surprised when you suddenly start using muscles you didn't use. Did you do some new exercise?”
“It resembles that.”
While we were sharing this odd physical language, Cream up on the stairs was watching us with a suspicious look. She was probably going out for morning jogging.
“Ah, Miss.”
“Good morning, Miss.”
Albert immediately straightened his posture and greeted us politely.
“Then I'll be going. Have a good day, both of you.”
“Ah, Head Butler. Before you go... I'd like to go out again today.”
“If that's the case, feel free to speak at any time. I'll prepare a carriage.”
Grateful, I watched his retreating figure and casually began my own exercise. This was becoming more and more addictive.
“Teacher. Stop doing that weird exercise.”
“Sorry. Due to yesterday's aftereffects, I have muscle soreness.”
“...Does it hurt a lot?”
“Are you worried about me?”
“If my condition is bad, Teacher, I can take the lead.”
Cream had come down unnoticed and was looking at me, giggling innocently. She was bold indeed.
“By the way, what relation do you have with that old man?”
“Eh?”
“Colleagues?”
“Miss... I keep telling you, I'm not a priest. I'm a tutor, and he's the head butler. Unlike me, who only recently came to this estate, he has worked here for a very long time. Of course, I understand why Miss, who doesn't easily trust people, is like that—”
“Never mind.”
Cream cut me off with a bright smile and turned around. Hugging her white puppy plushie, she was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling at all.
She looked uneasy, pouty, and unstable in every way.
I knew Cream's current stress level. That was why I had asked the butler for a carriage.
Having made up my mind, I spoke.
“Miss.”
“Never mind, okay? You don't need to explain, Teacher.”
“No, let's go out together today.”
“...Eh?”
After going out yesterday and causing that ruckus, going out again right away?—Cream looked at me with an expression full of that meaning, and I answered calmly.
“There's something I want to do with you outside.”
“...What is it?”
Cream cautiously hugged her plushie tighter. From the way she secretly put her hand inside, I could sense her caution.
On the other hand, in my head, I had only drawn a leisurely scene.
A leisurely scene with Cream: eating delicious things, wandering around bookstores, chatting and playing in the park!
Tutoring and purification requests were important, but her state was the most important thing.
——
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**Stress: 79%**
Even if it was a misunderstanding, she had clearly felt an intense betrayal. That was why things had turned out this way. I wanted to take responsibility and cheer her up myself.
So I explained today's schedule, and I didn't forget to avoid spoilers so it would be more fun.
But how Cream would receive it was another issue entirely.
“First, we'll go out and eat something delicious until our brains melt.”
‘...Confession?’
Ice cream.
“We'll also look around places full of heavy things.”
‘Interrogation room?’
Bookstores.
“And we'll relax by chatting in a crowded place.”
‘Public execution?’
The park.
“How about it? Are you looking forward to today's outing?”
“...Yes. I'm looking forward to it.”
Cream answered with a smile when I asked with a satisfied grin, but for some reason, the atmosphere around us felt a little cool.